Lhasa: "A New Area of Racial Segregation"

posted Sep 27, 2012, 7:14 AM by The Tibetan Political Review

By Woeser (June 20, 2012)

Lhasa has at last sunk into an “area of racial segregation”.

Apart from setting up security checkpoints around Potala Palace, in
the old town of Lhasa and in monasteries, defences have been established
on various levels including at airports, train stations and motorways;
non-Lhasa residents who do not have all kinds of paperwork and
certificates, “cannot enter Lhasa, unless they have wings”, as expressed
by a Han Chinese tourist.

All this is related to May 27, when two Amdo Tibetans self-immolated
in Lhasa; subsequently the local authorities have been carrying out
large-scale “inspections” and the clearing out of Tibetan people, not
only Tibetans from Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan or Yunnan Provinces but also
those from Chamdo, Nagchu, Shigatse, Ngari, Nyingtri areas within the
Autonomous Region.

Even Tibetans from the seven counties governed by Lhasa
(Damshung, Tölung Dechen, Chushur, Meldro Gungkar, Taktsé, Nyemo
and Lhündrup Counties) who have been residing in Lhasa for many years,
own apartments, have jobs, children that go to school etc., they still
have to hurry to get a temporary residence permit. If they cannot obtain
one, they are required to return to their place of birth. The seven
counties governed by Lhasa are not considered as belonging to Lhasa.

In short, anyone who is not a Lhasa resident but wants to enter Lhasa
needs to go through a great deal of procedures or else they are
arrested and sent back to their birthplace. It is reported that ordinary
people need five different sets of documents, including: 1. A copy of
all relevant documents and letters of guarantee by hotels or landlords;
2. A certificate issued by the local neighbourhood committee; 3. Their
hukou (household registration) and an introductory letter from
their birthplace, including a guarantee showing no criminal records; 4.
Identity Cards; 5. A temporary residence permit for Lhasa. Buddhist
monks and nuns must also have a monk or nun certificate. Apart from the
ID card and the monk and nun certificates, obtaining any of the above
documents is extraordinarily difficult.

However, if one is not Tibetan, one can come by plane, by train, by
car, by bike or one can even walk into Lhasa without problems. Of
course, any people from countries other than China have already been
indirectly refused entry into Tibet. If one searches for “Lhasa” on
Weibo, one’s senses are assaulted with Chinese people from various
places happily going to Lhasa to enjoy themselves. A little dog who has
been referred to as “Xiao Sa” is most popular because it joined some
Chinese cyclist halfway to Lhasa and followed them all the way into the
city. This is why some Tibetans pungently wrote on Weibo : “Lhasa
welcomes you, but it does not welcome Tibetans.”

In fact, Barkhor and Lhasa’s old town have already sunk into a sad
but shrill spectacle. The excited Chinese tourists all come to see a
spectacle, in just the same way that the earthquake ridden disaster area
was turned into a tourist region that is now frequented by perverse
tourists indulging in “disaster tourism”. The military police that are
everywhere take up a key role in this spectacle, playing the part of the
butcher or prison guard. What about Tibetans? No matter whether they
are silently prostrating pilgrims or monks who lock themselves in the
Jokhang Temple, this silent reticence is a form of hidden and non-vocal
resistance, but it is also the greatest grievance.

Some Tibetans have described the bitter experiences of their families
on Weibo: “My 19-year-old Tibetan nephew arranged to cycle along the
Qinghai-Tibet route with three of his Chinese classmates but when they
reached Lhasa’s Umatang Township in Damzhung County, his classmates
could pass whereas he was stopped because he was Tibetan. Only with a
certificate from a county-level or above unit would he be allowed to
enter Lhasa. I made some phone calls to inquire and found out that as a
non-Lhasa Tibetan if one wants to job, do business or visit relatives in
Lhasa one needs all kinds of certificates and guarantees. Otherwise
after passing a certain deadline, one is directly sent back to one’s
native place. Anti-terrorism measures that divide ethnicities are easily
implemented when there are only a few people, but what if there are
many?”

This reminds people of the Second World War when the Nazis
implemented policies of “anti-semitism” against Jews. In fact, Tibetans
have already started sarcastically calling Lhasa a “Jewish district
under Nazi rule”. The “elimination of Jews” back then and the
“elimination of Tibetans” today has led many young Tibetans to spread
the following sentence on Weibo about history repeating itself: “just
like the Jews said who had to wear the Yellow Badge on their chests: we
are unarmed and defenseless, but in the big world out there, no one is
brave enough to step forward to help us.”

For the past many years, non-Lhasa residence, regardless of their
cultural, economic or religious backgrounds, have always been relatively
important parts of Lhasa’s societal structure. Business people from
Amdo, Kham, Changthang, from different areas across the the whole of
Tibet have operated businesses in Lhasa, monks have made pilgrimages to
Lhasa and according to traditional customs, stayed in one of Lhasa’s
three main monasteries to study. Traditionally, Lhasa has always been
considered the centre, it has always been the holy land that all
Tibetans yearn for; but today, it has turned into a place that
“eliminates Tibetans”.

It is impossible for us to imagine the scope of the “Tibetan
elimination” and what level it will reach. But what is certain is that
this will lead to the exceptional destitution of the entire society. And
who will fill in the incredible vacuum that is created by this? Just
three days after the self-immolations happened in Lhasa, Tibetan
official media announced that the local authorities would implement
preferential policies that attract university graduates from the whole
country to come to Tibet; what all this means requires no further
explanation.

(Translated by High Peaks Pure Earth and republished by permission. Original publication at http://highpeakspureearth.com/2012/lhasa-a-new-area-of-racial-segregation-by-woeser/).